diff --git a/Flow.Launcher.Avalonia/App.axaml.cs b/Flow.Launcher.Avalonia/App.axaml.cs
index 2a0f45aa2..14919a92c 100644
--- a/Flow.Launcher.Avalonia/App.axaml.cs
+++ b/Flow.Launcher.Avalonia/App.axaml.cs
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ public partial class App : Application
     private static readonly string ClassName = nameof(App);
     private Settings? _settings;
     private MainViewModel? _mainVM;
+    private MainWindow? _mainWindow;
 
     public static IPublicAPI? API { get; private set; }
 
@@ -44,7 +45,8 @@ public partial class App : Application
             API = Ioc.Default.GetRequiredService<IPublicAPI>();
             _mainVM = Ioc.Default.GetRequiredService<MainViewModel>();
 
-            desktop.MainWindow = new MainWindow();
+            _mainWindow = new MainWindow();
+            // desktop.MainWindow = _mainWindow; // Prevent auto-show on startup
             desktop.ShutdownMode = ShutdownMode.OnExplicitShutdown;
 
             // Initialize hotkeys after window is created
@@ -131,6 +133,11 @@ public partial class App : Application
             var i18n = Ioc.Default.GetRequiredService<Internationalization>();
             i18n.UpdatePluginMetadataTranslations();
 
+            if (ApplicationLifetime is IClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime desktop)
+            {
+                desktop.MainWindow = _mainWindow;
+            }
+
             _mainVM?.OnPluginsReady();
         }
         catch (Exception e) { Log.Exception(ClassName, "Plugin init failed", e); }